One Great Snark! (slow motion dog to dog meeting)

[KCDogguy]

Sometimes despite another dog's good intentions, the other dog may not care and still try to bite. Maybe the little dog was still too close to the Mal and the Mal wanted more space, or the Mal was just in a poor mood. This Mal was untrusting of many dogs and we had to always take the D2D's slow.

[k9trainer2]

@KCDogguy why does the brown dog EVER have to meet this MAl?????

owner of brown dog should only have to meet NICE dogs...

the MAl should also NOT have other dogs in his space ...hope the MAl owner has lots of INSURANCE for vet bills...JUST A THOUGHT ...live & let live..

[KCDogguy]

@k9trainer2 If you read the description this was two shelter dogs meeting and we were practicing D2D's. I never set up interactions to be aggressive. We ended up improving the Mal's D2D's. He just made dog friends very slow. Just like people, dogs do not like every dog they meet. Don't judge the Mal on a single interaction with other dogs. It'd be like me judging you based on your uninformed comment.

[Devushka2007]

I'm new to this body language in dogs.... why did the Mal dog snarked at the brown dog if this was giving calming signals???

[AmericanPitbulls1]

@Devushka2007 Cause he is a badly trained and not fixed male which causes allot of dog 2 dog problems and you notice he did not bite until the leash was pulled which caused the bite never pull a dog away in a bad state of mind I suggest some dvds on dog body language but the best thing to do when learning it is go observe local dogs at parks stores anywhere you will learn it on your own very easy

[KCDogguy]

@AmericanPitbulls1 - Actually he was a neutered male. Being fixed has less to do with it than most would think. You were right, the video shows the impact of tight leashes in D2D introductions. I film the dogs I observe all the time. The best way is to film, slow it down and review it several times. Most of the dog dvd's are too watered down and staged for me. Good feedback.

[AmericanPitbulls1]

@KCDogguy I know just saying if neutered at a young age it can prevent some bad behaviors this was most likley this dogs normal everyday route he most likely felt it to be his territory so he attacked but it could also be a problem with him being positivism I had the same prob with my dog and I just SLOWLY would bring him closer and closer to other dogs him being a male I tried to stick with females at first it helps a bit not a ton though but most is male to male aggression.

[KCDogguy]

@Devushka2007 - Sometimes despite another dog's good intentions, the other dog may not care and still try to bite. Maybe the little dog was still too close to the Mal and the Mal wanted more space, or the Mal was just in a poor mood. This Mal was untrusting of many dogs and we had to always take the D2D's slow.

[litlebluangel]

@Devushka2007

Am I missing something? Isn't the first dog a husky?

The second is the Malinois.

[KCDogguy]

@litlebluangel The big dog is a Malamute- I guess Mal could mean Malinois also - good catch. He's a smallish Malamute though.

[aschalum]

HE VISTO ESTE VIDEO MUCHAS VECES, Y SIEMPRE ME EMOCIONA PROFUNDAMENTE... ESE INSTANTE CRUCIAL CUANDO EL HANSKY EMPEZABA A DAR UNA SEÑAL DE CALMA Y LE DAN EL TIRÓN K ROMPE TODO....UFFFF... QUE PENITA PENA....

[KCDogguy]

I said "tight", not fight and using fake dogs to to do D2D's? Maybe for a temp tests, but eventually you will have to teach dogs to learn how to meet, greet and interact with other dogs. There was no harm in this instance and the little brown dog went on to play and meet other dogs without psychological baggage. We got the Mal to meet and greet better with the help of other dogs and both went into homes. And yes, I've read the studies on fake dogs for temp tests - not b-mod.

[sequoyahbean]

You already know that the tester dog is becoming very uncomfortable and that your Nordic dog is not "getting" the calming signals. It is NOT OK to justify perpetrating this on another dog by saying that many dogs "fight then relax." By the way, you can use fake dogs, and studies show that the results are pretty reliable. Read up on it.

[KCDogguy]

We didn't "practice" the brown dog. We were videoing many D2D's that day and they just matched up that way. No way to know what dogs will do unless you get them around each other. Sheeeesh, take a pill. Also, with some nordic breeds, they start tight and then relax. Again, you never know at a shelter until you introduce the dogs to each other. Once you determine the behavior, then you can work to fix it.

[sequoyahbean]

Why would you subject the brown dog to that level of rudeness on the part of the other dog???? It was clear right from the get go that the Mal had ill intent and the brown dog was trying every calming signal he could muster, from head turns to tongue flicks to look-aways, to a circular wag to tell the bully that he was not a threat. In my opinion, you risk making a nice dog fearful of others. Letting the Mal practice that behavior is idiotic. He'll just get better at it till a dog gets hurt.

[SenseiDonGraham]

Brown dog would be the receiver in a gay butt secks !

[MsZoraZ]

I found it interesting that the tightening of the mal's leash may have led to the snark.

Great vid, I learned quite a bit from it!

[adelwwe74]

mishka

[doctordoolittle2800]

Carefully watch the malamute's ear set go from forward to back, and the hair on his back stand straight up. This dog from the first moment was set on alert mode. He's not at all aggressive, but extremely reactive. He's beautifully bold and confident, but definitely needs to be socialized.

None of this would happen at all if these two dogs were walked by the same person, one on each side so they could become familiar without that confrontational nose-to-nose intro.

[Xonoxsuka]

Black dog leash was tightened by a knowing owner. He has seen the behavior of his dog before imho.

[thievingscoundrel]

Good video! The tightening leash definitely triggered the mal, however, ANYTHING would have triggered the mal. A hand clap, a shout, a touch to the tail,..........the dog was a time bomb and any external stimulus would set it off. It reminded me of the old movies where someone is carrying some very old sweating dynamite and they know the least little shake or bump will set it off. Can't blame this one on the leash, the dog has the problem.

[Canislupess]

The mal is responding to the calming signals of the other dog slowly here. You see his mouth open several times which look like half hearted tongue flicks and then at 2:07, he turns his face away and flattens his ears...this shows that the brown dogs calming signals are helping him to gradually feel more relaxed...until his owner tightens that leash. I always walk mine on harnesses because I've seen this TOO often with dogs being lead by their necks. Good reason to not use choke chains etc...

[buddbb]

Thank you!Excellent vid!

Any one know how to help the Mal to feel a bit relax? My miniature schnauzer is doing the same thing as the Mal do when facing the puppy. Even without the tight leash he will bite if the dog continues to show "nice" greeting to him.

[concordbdance]

@buddbb I agree and have also experienced similar situations. It doesn't matter if you have a tight or loose leash. When dealing with a reactive, unpredictable dog, my hard earned lesson: NEVER let your guard down. I have seen this happen with various collars, leashes and holds. My experience is to discourage head to head facing doggie meetings. Side by side or head to tail is optimal.

[buddbb]

@concordbdance Hi! thank you for telling me this! Would you tell me more about how to discourage head to head facing doggie meetings?do u use leash the guide the dogs to do the side by side greeting?

[concordbdance]

@buddbb I am no expert here, still learning:) Communication is key, with other pet owner/handler and with your own dog. I usually say hello, then indicate that my pet hasn't mastered her manners yet and not ready for rushed close contact greetings. We visit the dogpark, stroll outside the fenced play area, say hello or do some safe distance passes by a the trusted, well trained team. The key for us is taking things slowly and safely. We approach from the side and circle. No nose to nose!

[buddbb]

@concordbdance really appreciate your reply! thank you!

[concordbdance]

@buddbb All the videos from KCDogguy are worth watching. I've found a lot of helpful information here. It's great to see the situation play out and have a discussion. Your questions helped me think...hope you find what you need to help your pets get along.

[dundeecake]

Holy shit, I found this very intimidating. The black dog just conitnues doing NOTHING. *shivers* ugh, I'd totally go for the brown dog. It's cute.

[JiveDadson]

Same thing happened to me a couple of days ago. My two doggies were greeting two others, one of which was interested but apprehensive, while the other stayed behind its owner. He had pinch collars on his dogs. (@#$%^& maroon.)

I was proud of mine. I did not pull them away. They just forgave the growl and snap and continued sniffing and wagging like nothing happened. I said, "It's okay, just loosen the leash." He did, and the dogs got to know each other and played a little while.

[JiveDadson]

That was leash-reactivity for sure. The brown dog was sending a lot of calming signals, starting with a flicking tongue. The large dog was tense and not exhibiting proper greeting behavior, but the leash definitely was the stimulus that caused it to snap. Nothing serious. This time.

[jasong3326]

the dog reacted based on the leash tightening but because he probably thought the pressure on his neck was a bit from the other dog, as the other dog was under and close to his neck and where the leash was connected to the neck of the black dog

[mentagirl]

I wish I could see all of this video! It keeps freezing at 1:47!

[CiPuGi]

This video for me had more suspense than a Hitchcock thriller ! There were so many warning signals visible, that it made me crinch ! Thank God nobody got hurt.

[suhaylett]

Hi, Interesting, because the black dog did a head turn before the brown dog altered it's position.

Difficult to say which came first the tight leash or the snarl.

The brown dog didn't seem to be physically closer, just altered it's position from one side to the other.

[hanksimon]

The Calming Signal from the black dog was a hard stare. He was waiting for a chance to be unfriendly and the tightened leash was the catalyst. But anything could have caused him to snap.

[Mireilka]

Oh my, and I held my breath for all those 2:16!!! Absolutely great video, and great little brown dog:)

[meadowlark9]

Brown dog was also using a circular tail wag. I watched that poor brown dog with such anxiety!!! So glad he wasn't bitten. I think the bite was also from his daring to come closer into the husky's space. How about slowing down the moment even more to find out?

[DogGoddess]

Excellent video and one I will use in my dog handling classes to illustrate a plethora of calming signals (as well as warning signals!)

[mgodlevski]

Excellent video! Thanks for slow-motion footage. My observation: the black dog never relaxes his stiff posture or gives calming signals back to the brown dog. It is when the brown dog pushes into the black dog's space that the black dog reacts.

[nojo54]

I disagree. The brown dog was close in most of the time but as soon as the leash started to tighten is when the black dogs snarks

[xCaveCanemx]

Excellent video. As vickivaughn pointed out, I'd also mention the lip licking by the brown dog in the first scenario.

[Toscabella]

awesome! you rock!

[mipawsitivestart]

Ooo - perfect! I'll be using this for newbies learning to do dog-dog intros. The husky looked "loaded for bear" the moment he enters the screen. The laser-like, uninterupted focus, watch the tail aimed at his victim, the closed mouth. This is great stuff. More please!

[jbenal]

Excellent video! Thank you.

[claudiahoyle]

a definite favourite, so much good info here, thanks for this

[vickivaughn]

small brown dog was also giving "puppy" kisses.

[AnimalWalk]

Great video. 5* and a favorite!